Tom Wopat

James Best, an actor best-known for playing the bumbling Sheriff Rosco P. Coltrane on the TV sitcom "The Dukes of Hazzard," has died. He was 88.

Best died Monday night at a hospice center in Hickory, N.C., after a brief illness following complications from pneumonia, according to a statement from family spokesman Steve Latshaw.

Best got his start in acting in the 1950s, appearing in Western films and TV shows that would include episodes of "The Twilight Zone," "The Andy Griffith Show" and "Gunsmoke" before being cast in "The Dukes of Hazzard."

The show, which ran from 1979 to 1985 on CBS, starred Tom Wopat and John...

Related "Tom Wopat" Articles

James Best, an actor best-known for playing the bumbling Sheriff Rosco P. Coltrane on the TV sitcom "The Dukes of Hazzard," has died. He was 88.
Best died Monday night at a hospice center in Hickory, N.C., after a brief illness following complications...

TV shows, while not typically known for their contributions to music, often rejoice in the sounds of the season.
Last month, PBS' period drama "Downton Abbey" released a Christmas album featuring selections from cast members that included Charles Blake...

John Schneider, one of TV's original "Dukes of Hazzard," confirmed Wednesday that he and his wife of 21 years are getting a divorce.
"The glue that held us together has weakened, and I feel it's the only way to not only salvage our friendship, but to...

"Duke the halls with boughs of holly. Fa la la la la, la la la VROOOM!"
John Schneider and Tom Wopat, the original "Dukes of Hazard," are celebrating the 35th anniversary of their octane-driven show. But this time, they're behind a microphone instead...

By George, half a century on it’s still a good thing when Gershwin music is front and center. During the next few days two Southern California orchestras are turning their focus to brothers George and Ira.
On Saturday, Michael Feinstein conducts the...